Amateur-built GLASAIR III accident near St. Martinville, Louisiana, April 17, 1998
On April 17, 1998 at about 1:20 am local time, a amateur-built GLASAIR III, registered N238BC, was destroyed in an accident near St. Martinville, Louisiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft as a result of VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions and flight into known adverse weather conditions. Contributing factors were turbulence, clouds, dark night and lack of an instrument rating.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 1998 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- St. Martinville, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GLASAIR III GLASAIR II
- Registration
- N238BC · registry record · serial 3099
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated commercial pilot lost control of the airplane after encountering instrument meteorological conditions and moderate to severe turbulence while on a night cross-country flight. The wreckage of the airplane was located the following day in a remote unpopulated area approximately 19 miles east of Lafayette. There were no reported eye witnesses to the accident. Prior to the loss of control, the pilot received VFR traffic advisories from Air Traffic Control (ATC) while conducting flight at 11,500 feet. Radar and radio contact were lost when the airplane was about 20 nautical miles east of Lafayette. The airplane was last observed by radar at 10,200 feet. No distress calls were received from the aircraft. ATC advised the pilot of a weather advisory which called for a 30mile wide area of moderate to severe turbulence from 4,000 to 12,000 feet associated with wind shear. About 20 minutes prior to the accident, a pilot of an ATR72 airplane reported encountering moderate to severe turbulence between 5,000 and 8,000 feet, about 10.5 nm north of the accident site. The pilot had been provided with weather advisories calling for adverse weather and marginal VFR along his anticipated route of flight. No structural or mechanical anomalies were observed during an examination of the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 22, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LCH Lake Charles LA
- Destination: LAL Lakeland FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:10 am from LFT, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.